Days of dirt, bites, and scratches had taught Javon one thing: never forget to feed the birds, or whatever those creatures truly were.In the courtyard, the old man stood watching. Javon stepped forward, and without warning, the old man slapped the air.A burst of energy. The mark of that palm tore through space, shattering the rocks behind him. The Javon that had been struck slowly dissolved, only a shadow remained.Javon, standing a few meters away, suddenly felt the echo of it. His voice came from afar, from somewhere else. What remained behind was merely the trace of his body technique.“How’s your Phantom Shadow Step?” the old man asked calmly, assessing him.Javon reappeared, panting, but this time understanding that the shadow he had formed wasn’t just a silhouette. He had solidified a projection that lasted several minutes and carried eighty percent of his physical strength.The old man’s expression shifted. He looked at the pheasant in Javon’s hand and suddenly exclaimed, “Da

In front of the Forger family villa, the seasons had changed. Javon stood at the gate, chest tight with an unfamiliar ache. “Where’s Jared?” he muttered, staring into the empty yard.Silence. No voice. No shadow.He pulled out his phone, dead. The battery long gone. He had been away too long.He stepped inside the villa. “Jared?” he called again.No answer.An odd quiet swallowed the air. A bad feeling climbed his throat.HWOSSHH!From the upper floor, a blast of true energy shot toward him.Javon instinctively leapt back. The energy struck the wall behind him, leaving a charred mark.From the darkness, a rough voice shouted, “Whoever you are, die!”Javon lifted his palm. The air trembled as a strong suction erupted from the center of the room. From above, a man was yanked into the air, strangled by invisible force.The guard kicked and thrashed in midair. His breath faltered. Fear widened his eyes. “Y-you’re… Javon Forger?!”Javon’s tone was flat, but the weight behind it sliced like

The man in the black cloak bowed for a split second. His voice was deep, pressing, but unhurried. “He… has just broken through to Great Grandmaster.”The words fell into the room like a stone into a still lake, ripples spreading across every face.Alkarion swallowed hard. His brow furrowed as his mind flashed back to two years ago, three spirit pills, meditation that nearly took his life. That kid had surpassed him in mere weeks.Javon stared, his eyes like blades. “Have you decided?” his voice was flat. “Will you release them or not?”Alkarion turned to the cloaked man. “Dekra, are you sure you can hold him?”Dekra smiled faintly. “I’m a third-tier Great Grandmaster. His foundation is fragile. I can handle him.” His tone was matter-of-fact, a hard confidence like bedrock.They spoke through spiritual transmission, waves of words rolling quietly, but Javon caught them immediately. His anger swelled from his chest, heavy and deep. “Are you all mute, huh, old dogs?!” he snapped.Alkario

Relan stood erect. “Captain Gara?”Gara stepped into the wreckage. He examined Dekra lying there, then turned to Javon. “Where’s the other one?” he asked, his voice calm, very authoritative.Relan pointed stiffly, “Over there.”Gara looked for a long moment, then gave a small smile, half disbelief, half pride. “Javon Forger… winner of the international competition, who planted spirit herbs and broke through to Great Grandmaster.” Javon only nodded slightly.Gara exhaled. “Heroes do come from the younger generation.” His tone shifted firm but gentle. “Explain exactly what happened here.”The Sulivan elder stepped forward, his voice rolling, most of his words polite lies. Javon listened, and Gara listened even more sharply. He knew the games of the powerful.“Was there a kidnapping?” Gara asked coldly. All the families exchanged glances.Finally, the High Elder half-admitted, “We… may have gone too far. But he killed many people!” The lie still clung like a stain.Gara pressed them. “I

A heavy, flat voice descended from the night sky. “Looks like… there’s trash from the Walker family.”Footsteps approached; each step increased the pressure in the air. People stepped back reflexively. Then, from beyond the neon glow, the figure known from international news emerged as Javon.His eyes were cold. His steps were light. But every glance felt like a steel blade cutting through flesh. “If you want to leave, leave. Or do you want me to help?” he said casually, flat, almost bored.Andreas’ face drained of color. He knew the name. The only winner of the international competition who had broken through to Great Grandmaster. A young monster even the government dared not touch.“Wait, Javon!” he stammered, trying to sound brave, then fled with his guards, many of them half-crushed.Once they were gone, the pressure in the air lifted. People began to breathe again. Neon lights shivered quietly in the night breeze.Alisa looked at Javon; her eyes shone like a child’s. “Brother For